Algorithms & data structures
Classic patterns — search, sort, stacks, queues, and practical complexity-aware code.
Game of Life Next State Grid in Python
Compute the next generation of Conway's Game of Life from a 2D grid using the standard three rules with neighbor counting.
def next_state(grid):
m, n = len(grid), len(grid[0])
new = [[0] * n for _ in range(m)]
for r in range(m):
for c in range(n):
total = 0
for dr in (-1, 0, 1):
for dc in (-1, 0, 1):
if dr == 0 and dc == 0:
continue
…
How to Find the Next Greater Element for Each List Item in Python
Use a monotonic stack to find the next greater element to the right for every item in a list, in O(n) time.
def next_greater_element(nums):
result = [-1] * len(nums)
stack = []
for i in range(len(nums) - 1, -1, -1):
while stack and stack[-1] <= nums[i]:
stack.pop()
result[i] = stack[-1] if stack else -1
stack.append(nums[i])
return result
if __name__ == "__main…
Pair Elements with Next Cyclic Neighbor in Python
Create tuples pairing every element with its next element, wrapping around to the first element for the last one.
def cyclic_pairs(lst):
if not lst:
return []
return [(lst[i], lst[(i + 1) % len(lst)]) for i in range(len(lst))]
if __name__ == "__main__":
sample = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
result = cyclic_pairs(sample)
print(result)
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